DIDN'T we do well! That's the cry echoing through the wards of Fylde Coast hospitals and clinics at the unveiling of this year's NHS league tables.

Nurses, doctors, in fact all the medical staff, are giving themselves a well-deserved pat on the back after the region's two trusts came out well above the national average with countless five-star ratings and top marks.

And they have earned the praise of health chiefs who say the hospitals' success is down to the commitment and dedication of the workers.

The tables reveal how well hospitals have done in various areas from outpatient waiting times to how quickly cancelled operations were rearranged.

Fylde Community Trust, which provides services at Fleetwood, Lytham, South Shore and Devonshire Road hospitals among others, came off best of all with ten out of a possible 13 five-star ratings.

Most worthy of note is the fact that no operations were cancelled and 99 per cent of all outpatients were seen within 30 minutes of arrival.

Delighted chief executive Philip Scully commented: "I want to thank all our staff for their determination and hard work in maintaining such high standards, for their commitment to providing local people with the best possible care.

"When I compare our record regionally and even nationally, we can certainly hold our head up high."

However, he added there was no room for complacency with some dermatology or mental health outpatients having to wait more than 13 weeks for a first appointment.

Praise is due also to Blackpool Victoria Hospital which picked up five-star ratings in seven different categories, including immediate assessment of patients in the accident and emergency department and rearranging cancelled operations within one month.

There were outstanding scores, too, for the outpatients department, with 89 per cent of patients seen within 13 weeks and 100 per cent within 26 weeks.

Deputy chief executive Keith Hargreaves said: "The achievements of the Trust in the past 12 months are good news for the local residents and patients of the hospital and must be attributed to the dedication and hard work of the staff.

"We are pleased to report an overall improvement in most areas when compared with the previous two year's league tables.

"These tables allow us to measure our performances against other acute trusts and provide a benchmark against which future improvements can be assessed."

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